Fictober 2019
by Deadlydollies13
Summary: This year I am participating in my own Fictober challenge. So here are all of my drabbles. The prompt list can be seen as the cover image if you would like to participate as well! Be sure to use #Fictober2019
1. Day 1: Leaves

Autumn is different in the city. Yes, there are green spaces and some trees that turn, but it is mostly overlooked in the hustle and bustle of urban life. Perhaps that is why Eve didn't notice their own trees starting to turn on their wide spans of land. She had lived in the city her entire life; why would she ever take specific notice to the trees?

Until, one day, when she came down in the morning to the kitchen. Crowley and Aziraphale did not cook, but they could prepare coffee, and if it was Eve that was the last to wake up (hard to bear Crowley), they knew to just place a large mug in her hand and wait for her to come to life. But, that morning, it came quicker than they had expected.

Crowley handed her her favorite mug full of Pumpkin Spice creamer (the arrival of everything Pumpkin Spice, she took quick notice of) and enough coffee to give her a caffeine boost. She looked up to mutter a 'thanks,' but she stopped and her eyes widened. She wasn't looking at Crowley, but past him, outside. "_Woah_," she whispered as she pushed through the kitchen screen door, its creaking hinges and hollow slam on the door frame a constant tune in the Cottage's score, and stood in the middle of the yard. Dewy grass dampened the hem of her pajama pants, but she didn't mind.

"Evelyn, dear, whatever is it?" Both Aziraphale and Crowley followed her and stood next to her, trying to see what she was so enraptured by, but could only see the open land, trees, and the cliffs in the distance.

"It looks like the _world_ is on fire..." she said, tears prickling her eyes. Along the coast, around their property, all the way to the cliffs, it was a sea aflame with oranges, reds, and yellows. Eve had only seen such beautiful scenes in paintings or in movies, and quite frankly, she thought them all exaggerating. What could be so beautiful about dying leaves? But now she understood quite well.

"Normal people would bitch and moan about raking the leaves," Crowley said as he tended to his garden. Autumn plants had begun to bloom and bud and he was determined to make sure they grew to his standards. He was especially harsh on the pumpkins that were reaching their peak after growing all summer.

"But if I rake them into a _pile_, then I get to _play_ in it!"

"She's having fun, dear, leave her be," Aziraphale said fondly. He was sitting on the porch, curled up on the bench swing in a soft jumper with a good book. It really was a lovely day.

Crowley walked over and stood up on the edge of the porch and hung off the balustrade. "Sure, Angel." He leaned over the railing and placed a chaste kiss on Aziraphale's lips before he twisted around and hopped up to perch himself on the railing.

"Done!" They looked over to see Eve standing next to a pile of leaves almost as tall as herself, and matched it too. The reds, oranges, and yellows matched her red hair, burnt orange dungarees, and mustard jumper.

Crowley couldn't help but take out his phone and snap a quick photo; she looked so proud of her leaf pile, no matter how menial it was. "Very nice, darling!"

She grinned and tossed the rake aside and flopped into the pile of leaves. All of her hard work was now back where it had started: scattered around the garden. She squealed and tossed handfuls of leaves up in the air to rain down on her. Abel took it as a cue that it was okay to run and play now, after having patiently waited beside Eve as she raked everything up. He bolted through the pile, barking, and trying to bite at the leaves.

Crowley just shook his head, but couldn't help but smile fondly at the scene before him. It was so utterly domestic, it was disgusting. But there he was, watching his daughter laugh and smile, sitting beside the love of his life. It was something five years ago, he would never thought he would be able to say.

The wind kicked up and blew a single leaf in his direction. It got snagged in his hair and gently pulled it out. It was a perfect red leaf. He didn't know why Eve was so obsessed with the leaves or Autumn, but he supposed it was the beauty in the little things like this. "Here you go, Angel." He said and placed it on the page Aziraphale was on.

"Thank you, dear boy. I needed a new bookmark." He smiled and looked up at Crowley.

Yes, Autumn was his new favorite time of the year.


	2. Day 2: Blankets

There were two types of "nothing" days at the South Downs Cottage. One was a day that nobody saw anybody. The entire Cottage was silent, save for perhaps the muffled sound of Eve's laptop or the flipping of pages. Crowley slept the entire day away and then some, Aziraphale was cooped up in his study with a stack of books, and Eve rarely left her room except to grab some more snacks.

The other type of day was spending time together in the sitting room, watching a movie and cooking meals together. It was _that_ type of day. Those days were best when it was chilly out, so they could all snuggle close to one another on the sofa in the softest blankets imaginable. And it was a Sunday, everyone's favorite day.

Eve had started the tradition that every Sunday morning, she would cook a huge spread for breakfast. Pancakes, waffles, French toast, eggs, bacon, ham, toast, homemade preserves and jams, fresh-squeezed juices, anything Aziraphale and Crowley desired. Even Crowley, who rarely ate, looked forward to Sunday mornings.

"It's _freezing!_" He said when he walked into the kitchen that morning, wrapped in the heavy duvet from his and Zira's bed. He slid onto the bench at the kitchen table, where Eve had already begun to set out the food.

"I just lit the hearth, dear, give it a chance to warm up." Zira placed Crowley's mug in front of him filled with fresh hot coffee. Zira's usual T-shirt and flannel tartan bottoms had been switched out for a long-sleeved tartan set, and a Sherpa throw wrapped around his shoulders as he tended to butter the toast.

"You wouldn't be so cold if you'd just dress a bit warmer instead of worrying about how you look when nobody sees you." Eve chimed in. She was the queen of pajamas. She always had on matching sets with ridiculous patterns and would have lived her entire life in them if she didn't have anywhere to go. And the damned blanket covered in puppies that was draped over her shoulders was almost as old as her, but Aziraphale, realizing how important it was to her, always made sure to use just a small miracle to mend any tiny holes and keep it nice and soft for her.

"I'm a _sssnake_, Eve, I'm always cold."

"I'm sure if they could, snakes would wear jumpers too. Now, how do you want your eggs?"

"Scrambled," he grumbled.

Breakfast was, of course, eaten wrapped in blankets. The fireplace was taking its good 'ole time warming the house up. Crowley was just eating for the sake of trying to get something warm inside his body.

"Go put on a damn sweater, Dad." Eve said.

"Never. Goes against my aesthetic." He took another gulp of piping hot coffee.

"What bloody aesthetic? It's just the three of us, nobody _cares!_ But, we're _going_ to care when you catch a damn cold!"

"I don't catch colds," he grumbled and shoved a slice of French toast into his mouth. Eve shook her head and turned away from him, while Zira looked between the two of them, knowing exactly who would win the dispute in the end.

With full stomachs and a still-cold cabin, the three— four if you count Abel— curled up together on the sofa under a mountain of blankets. Fleece and Sherpa and flannel all meshed together to create one big heat-retainer. The sofa was not large by any means, but the family could squeeze together if they didn't care for boundaries that day, which they rarely did.

Aziraphale sat in the middle, with Crowley's head on his chest and Eve's resting on his thigh.

"Angel, just let Eve choose what to watch." Crowley has suggested they watch a movie. Eve created a monster when she showed them how to use the Firestick. The only problem was: they could never agree on anything. Aziraphale always searched for some book-to-movie adaption. While the 2005 version of _Pride & Prejudice_ was lovely, they had seen it a dozen times since moving to the cottage. Crowley always favored the most obscure things, from Mary Poppins to action to the most gruesome horror films that made Eve faint at the sight of any blood, real or fake.

But when Eve chose the movie, it was usually something that appeased both parents, even if they would have never opted to pick it.

"Fine," Zira said and handed the remote to Eve. She immediately turned on _Young Frankenstein_, which of course, appeased both her parents, and it was in the Halloween spirit.

The house was still cold, even as Crowley kept adding wood to the fire. "I hope it's not going to be like this all season." He said.

"There may be a hole somewhere creating a draft, dear."

"No, there wouldn't be. I would've -" Eve sat up and glanced into the kitchen through the archway, straight at the back door, which was wide open. There was the screen door, of course, but it was _only_ that: a _screen_. The warmth from the fire had been sucked out of the house all day. "_Fuck._"


	3. Day 3: Moonlight

The sea turned silver under the full moon, making it glisten like a million diamonds. They crashed on the tiny shore and disappeared. On said shore, an Angel and a Demon took their evening stroll, a new routine they had started. Every night after dinner— before bed, but after Eve went to sleep— they went down to their own private beach and walked barefoot for a while, held hands, and talked.

It was so quiet on the beach; the only sound really being the waves.

They stood at the sea's edge and let the waves nip at their ankles. Crowley jerked back at the first sensation. "Bloody -"

Aziraphale giggled, "Too cold, my dear?"

"'M Always cold, Angel." He kicked at the water's edge as if it could actually feel.

Aziraphale just hummed contently. He laced their fingers together and rested his head on Crowley's shoulder, taking in a deep breath of his familiar scent and the sea. "I miss it— having time to just ourselves. Not that I'm not insanely happy now, but -"

"I get it, Angel." He turned and placed a kiss on top of Zira's head. "I miss it, too. And we still _do_ have time to ourselves… Like this. This is nice." He looked back out to the sea and snorted. "Even when we're alone, we still talk about Eve."

Zira reached up with his free hand and rubbed Crowley's arm. "I believe that's just called being a parent, dear."

Despite the cool air and cold water, a warm sensation washed over Crowley. "Yeah." He smiled and looked down at Aziraphale. Under the moonlight, it looked like he was glowing. The light bounced off of his icy blue eyes and white-blonde hair so that he, too, looked like he was made of a million diamonds. It was the second-most beautiful thing Crowley had ever seen, the first being the first time he saw Aziraphale in Eden.

"Are you alright, dear?" Aziraphale asked when he noticed Crowley staring with his jaw unhinged.

"_Ngk_." It wasn't a very coherent answer, but Aziraphale accepted it and turned back to watching the waves, but still staying close to Crowley.

It was just one of those nights Crowley desperately wished he had a ring to propose with.


	4. Day 4: Fire

Fire was everywhere in the Cottage. It was in the fireplace, it was in Crowley's hair— and Eve's too— it was in Aziraphale's soul and behind Eve's words when she spoke about something she was passionate about. But there was no greater fire than the kind that came from love.

It burned between Crowley and Aziraphale, hotter than the sun. Angels can sense love, like waves of warm and fuzzy feelings. Aziraphale had always felt it around Crowley, even if he was too afraid to admit to himself that's what it was. But when they both finally admitted their love to one another, it burned hot, hotter than Hellfire.

The heat was addicting, like a child who can't resist putting their hand above a candle flame. It was the only time Crowley actually felt warm.

But there were also times that it was too much. Angels' senses were heightened. It wasn't _just_ love they could sense; it was everything. And so, Aziraphale sometimes felt overwhelmed. It's not like the sensation of love ever dwindled. In fact, most days, he could sense it growing even stronger. And on top of everything else, it was sensory overload.

Those days Aziraphale spent huddled up in his bedroom. He would curl up in a soft blanket with the lights off and curtains drawn, a cup of hot cocoa next to his bed, even if he didn't touch it, but just to know it was there. Aziraphale did absolutely nothing, just spending the day staring at the ceiling, trying to will away the sensation that his entire body, right down to his bone, was on fire or going to explode.

Demons did not experience this. They, alternatively, were touch-starved, and therefore, sensory-starved. Even if it was pain, it was still a sense, and Demons craved it. So naturally, Crowley basked in the fiery-hot love between him and Aziraphale. It made his entire body tingle with delight. He had an addiction and no plans on going cold-turkey. Still, he understood when Aziraphale needed some space and respected that. Of course, he did. That was his Angel, and if he told him to, he would stay away for days.

But it never got to that. Besides, it was good for them to still have their alone-time from one another. Aziraphale would stay in bed and read a book, and Crowley would take the opportunity to tend to his garden and discipline his plants the way Aziraphale wasn't fond of.

Those days always ended the same way though: with Crowley slowly coming back to their bedroom and sliding into bed next to his Angel. It was something Aziraphale had to ease back into; each time they touched, it felt like a spark igniting the fire. Slowly but surely, Aziraphale would get used to it again, his senses at ease after their recharge, and found his place back in Crowley's arms. Crowley would do nothing except hold him close.


	5. Day 5: Sweater

At some point, Aziraphale and Eve decided to take up knitting and crochet. Aziraphale had learned years ago and being retired, he had nothing better to do.

It proved to be useful when the temperatures dropped, and Crowley's cold-bloodedness played against him.

"Dear, just put on a sweater," Aziraphale said when he felt Crowley shiver in bed for the fifth time that night.

"No, it'll s - stop when I finally get to sleep." He tried to get even closer to Aziraphale, practically wrapping himself around him to reach as much body heat as he could.

"Really, Crowley." Aziraphale tore himself away to get up and look in their closet, despite Crowley's whimper. Looking on Crowley's side, he owned no sweater whatsoever. "Crowley! How on Earth do you make it through these cold winters if you don't have anything thicker than a button-down?"

"I just suffer." He burrowed himself into the blankets in a fetal position. "Just come back to bed, Angel. You're warm enough for me."

Aziraphale begrudgingly climbed back into bed, not even able to convince Crowley to put on one of his own sweaters.

The next morning, Eve came downstairs to find Aziraphale tangled in yarn, trying to knit a sweater.

"What's this all about?" She asked.

"If your stubborn father won't wear a sweater, well, we'll just have to make him one ourselves so he feels obligated to."

"I never said I knew how to knit a whole sweater, Zira."

"_No_, but you're going to learn." He thrust the needles into her hands.

They took turns knitting. Eve's rows had some mistakes, and with each one, she got more discouraged and wanted to hand it back off to Aziraphale, but he told her to keep going.

When it was finally done, made of soft, maroon wool with a high collar, there were loose ends and several small gaps in the pattern.

Eve handed it over to Crowley one morning at the breakfast table.

"What is this?" He unfolded it.

"It's a sweater," answered Aziraphale. "Eve and I both made it ourselves, so now you'll have something warm to wear."

Crowley started at the sweater, first with slight annoyance, as he had said before and he'd say it again, sweaters go against his aesthetic. But there was still some black thread intertwined in there against the maroon, and it was so incredibly soft and warm like Aziraphale had knitted some of his grace into it.

"You _have_ to wear it now because we made it ourselves." Eve teased.

The corners of his lips twitched upward and he pulled it on. It did make him significantly warmer. He looked at Aziraphale and Eve, who was staring at him expectantly. Aziraphale thought he looked much... _softer_ in the sweater. He just wanted to pull him in his arms and keep him there for the day.

Crowley sighed, "Fine. You've got me."

After that, it was the only sweater he'd wear, even if it was totally against his style.


	6. Day 6: Tranquility

Rain was Eve's favorite type of weather. Not thunderstorms, but just calming rainfall and cloudy skies. That type of weather was only best when one can stay inside with a cup of tea and enjoy it.

So there she was, sitting on the window seat in her bedroom, curled up in a blanket with her mug and a good book. The rain hit the bow fogged-up window and supplied a soothing ambiance.

And then there was an all-too-familiar _pop_ and the Prince of Hell was standing in the middle of her room.

"There goes my tranquility." Eve said and snapped her book shut. "Hello, Beelzebub."

"Hello, Eve." Beelzebub said, unaware of Eve's annoyance.

"You're getting real cocky coming here during the day, you know," Eve sighed.

"It's not like I'm _aware_ of what time it izzz in Hell. Am I interrupting zzzomething?"

"No, no." She set her book down on her lap. "Just reading."

"Reading what?" Ze peered over to look at the title.

"_Pride and Prejudice._" She answered.

Ze rolled zir eyes, "Of courzzze it izzz." Eve was a romantic and a sucker for happy-endings. Something indulged by Aziraphale. "May I sit?"

"You may." Eve brought her legs up to make room for Beez, only to set them back down on zir lap when Ze sat next to her. Beez rested zir hands on her shins. It was still intimate, but comfortable. Ze opened zir mouth to say something, but stopped.

Eve didn't always look this at-peace. With her shoulders drooped and her jaw slack, Eve didn't even bother to put in her contacts that day, opting to just wear her glasses, Beelzebub didn't want to disturb it.

Ze could have said what Ze wanted to say. _I love you, I miss you, Let me have you, Leave this place and come with me, Leave him..._ But Ze couldn't, not that day.

It would have just upset Eve. It did every time, and yet, Beelzebub couldn't stop doing it. Ze was the Demon of Gluttony, Ze wanted it all. It wasn't fair to Eve, Beez knew that.

_One day,_ Beelzebub told zirself._ One day, I'll give her to just be._

"Go back to reading."

Eve raised a brow; she expected to be nagged to do something at the very least, but this would do nicely. "Alright then." She smiled. She opened her book back up to her reading.

They sat in comfortable silence with Eve leaning up against the wall, reading her book, and Beelzebub gazing at Eve. _This_ was zir tranquility.


	7. Day 7: Stars

Eve was covered in freckles. It was a genetic trait passed down to her from her ancestors, who also had red hair, light eyes, and pale skin.

Crowley was also covered in freckles, but his were not passed down genetically. In fact, his were not even real freckles at all.

They were a cruel reminder burned into his skin of his days as an Angel.

Crowley loved living out in the country for many reasons, but one is that at night, he could see all of the stars. The longer he stared, the more he could see. He was the one who hung them, and he knew all of their names.

Behind him, he heard the screen door open and slam against the door frame. He heard footsteps in the grass and then stop behind him. He was about to turn around and greet his Angel when -

"You couldn't sleep, either?" The tiny voice grumbled.

Crowley looked away from the sky to his daughter, who was wrapped up in a blanket. "Darling, what are you doing up? It's nearly three in the morning."

"I should be asking _you_ the same thing." She came to stand next to him and gaze up at the sky. "What were you looking at?"

"Just stargazing." He looked back up.

"There's so many of them." She said. "Never realized how many there were."

"Hm." He smirked. "I know. I made them all and hung them too."

"Wait, really? When you were an Angel?"

"Mhm, when I was an Angel. I may have been cast out of Heaven, but they weren't. And I'll always have them with me..." he gestured to his cheeks, where freckles had behind to fade over the years.

Eve looked closer; she had never really noticed them before. "You have the Big Dipper on your cheek, too?" She asked.

He finally brought his attention back to Earth. "What do you mean '_too?_'"

"I have it on my cheek, too! See?" She pointed it out. It was on the opposite cheek of Crowley's and it was much smaller, of course. "Crazy, huh?"

"Yeah... Weird coincidence..." Except it _wasn't_ a coincidence. Too many things in their lives were _coincidences_. This wasn't some teenage fantasy novel; people who were strangers just a few years prior did not coincidentally have the same pattern of freckles. That was the point of freckles, wasn't it? That they were unique?

Random strangers who looked strikingly similar to you did not coincidentally show up on your doorstep and then months later, you're a family, no questions asked.

Something was up, and Crowley had felt it ever since that night when he first met Eve. Did Aziraphale feel it too?

"Dad?" She asked, bringing Crowley out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Darling?"

"Can you show me more of the constellations?" She pointed back up toward the sky.

"Erm, sure." The Almighty surely had a plan. She must have from the very beginning. One way or another, the three of them were always meant to be together. And for once, Crowley didn't ask any questions.


	8. Day 8: Warm Mugs

It was a gift from Crowley, the white mug with Angel wings. He had gotten it for Aziraphale a few years prior. Before that, Aziraphale had drunk out of an antique teacup. It was just a small gesture. Crowley just happened to come across it in a shop in London and picked it up for him... and then picked him up some gourmet hot cocoa mix and marshmallows, some chocolates, and some flowers to spruce up the bookshop. _How_ Aziraphale didn't realize sooner that Crowley was in love with him, the Almighty Herself will never know.

It was just a mug, and yet, Aziraphale put so much on it. It was the only mug he used now, despite the growing wall-rack of mugs their family was accumulating. Crowley and Eve used any mug that at the time, was clean. They had monochrome mugs, mugs with animals, mugs with plants, mugs with funny sayings, and more.

But Aziraphale only used that Angel wing mug. And he soon realized, there was no singular mug that embodied Crowley or Eve perfectly, and frankly, Aziraphale found it quite sad. They certainly _used_ mugs enough. But did any of the ones they used give them such joy as his mug did? He would have to find them both the perfect mug.

Crowley's was easy enough to find, with it being so close to Halloween. He found a black mug with bat wings in a shop in their town of Seaford. It was perfect; the matching opposite of his Angel mug.

Eve's was harder. Aziraphale had to, of course, start with figuring out what was the best thing to describe Eve. But there were a _million things_ that described Eve. She was smart and funny and loved books and movies and cooking. She loved animals and she loved nature. There were just so many things to choose from.

He even went as far as to search online, which he had no idea how to do until he called up Anathema, wanting to keep it a secret. And then he found it. He had to call Anathema once again to figure out how to put in an order.

Aziraphale wrapped the mugs up, all nice with bows, and placed them on the kitchen table one morning while he waited for Crowley and Eve to come downstairs, all while drinking out of his mug.

"Morning, Angel." Crowley yawned when he came downstairs.

"What's that, Zira?" Eve asked and went to grab a mug to make coffee.

"Wait, before you get your coffee, open these." He looked so eager for them to open whatever it is he had gotten them.

"Angel, if this is some sort of prank you found..." Crowley tore the paper off his first, and he looked like he had just about melted. "_Angel._.."

"Now we match, my love!" Aziraphale grinned and held up his wing mug. A blush swept over Crowley's face.

"I _can't_..." he mumbled, his voice thick with love.

"Open yours, dear," Aziraphale told Eve as he reached across the table to squeeze Crowley's hand.

Eve tore off the paper and felt that she might join Crowley in a puddle of mush. The mug, was just a simple mug, but on it said:

_"I'm a column-hugging,_

_Nomination-writing,_

_Mortar-repointing,_

_House-restoring,_

_Sprawl-avoiding,_

_Paint-scraping,_

_History-loving,_

_Photo-taking,_

_PRESERVATIONIST!"_

It was so perfectly Eve. "_Zira_…" She hugged the mug to her chest. "It's too early for this shit. This is so sweet!"

Still, Aziraphale looked oh-so-proud of himself. "Now we each have a mug of our own that is perfectly ourselves." He looked at both of their soft expressions. "Do you like them?"

"We _love_ them!" They both exclaimed.

"_Oh_, I'm so glad."

"Can we make coffee now?" Eve asked.

"Yes, you can make your coffee."


	9. Day 9: Magic

"It's not fair!" Eve said. "I don't like to say that, but seriously, it's not fair."

"There's really nothing you can do about it, darling," Crowley said.

"But you and Zira are occult— or ethereal— or _whatever!_ And then there's Adam, who's the bloody Antichrist -"

"Not anymore," Aziraphale interjected.

"And then Anathema is a witch!" She continued. "Magic! _Everyone_ is magic! And I'm just… _not_."

"Dear, that's not true."

Eve snapped her fingers, and naturally, nothing happened.

No, Evelyn Rose Thompson did _not_ have magical or ethereal or even occult powers. She could not perform miracles or predict the future or see auras. She could not alter reality with just thinking about it.

In her eyes, she was simply human. There was nothing especially special about her.

Of course, that was not entirely true. For Eve was actually incredibly unique. She had always been unique. Aziraphale and Crowley, lovers of Earth and humanity themselves, loved Eve's human qualities. She was intelligent, but not all-knowing, and so she was always eager to learn more. She struggled but always found a solution in the end. She had insecurities, she was often silly and serious in the same breath. She was morally good, but still made mistakes.

In a cliche way, she was perfect in her parents' eyes. And yes, she was still human. But the fact of the matter is, you cannot be around supernatural beings for so long and not expect some of that to rub off on you, even if you're a human.

Aziraphale could see Eve's emotional aura, like if she was depressed or happy, but could not see how over time, Eve's aura had begun to absorb both Aziraphale's and Crowley's to become a mesh. In a way, she was still human, but with a dash of ethereal and occult. Just enough to make her… _unique_.

So, no, Eve did not technically have any magical powers. Her "magic" lied in the way she subconsciously tempted others to get what she desired, a trait learned from Crowley, or the way she learned from Aziraphale that acting naive and batting your eyes whilst hiding your ulterior motive.

That is just what happens when you're the daughter of an Angel and a Demon. And it is the way _I_ intended it to be, all of this time.


	10. Day 10: Forest

There is a forest near the cottage in the South Downs. Actually, it was more of a wood. And an Angel and Demon were currently walking through it.

"Isn't it just so beautiful, Crowley, dear?" Aziraphale pulled his scarf closer to his neck. The temperature had dropped and dropped fast in the South Downs.

"Yeah, beautiful, Angel," Crowley said. He was more concerned about all of the different noises around him. He didn't expect anything dangerous to be in that forest, but he flicked out his tongue to make sure there was no danger amidst. There was nothing more dangerous around them than the deer that was minding its own business a few yards away.

The sun shone through the tree canopy, casting shadows and making the remaining turning leaves look aflame. Crowley looked at Aziraphale and felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.

"Crowley?"

Crowley stepped closer and wrapped his arms around him. One hand on his lower back holding him close, his other hand holding the back of his neck to pull him into a kiss. It wasn't searing and full of lust, it was deep and passionate and full of _love_.

Aziraphale moaned and leaned into it. In fact, Aziraphale leaned so far into the kiss, Crowley lost his balance and they both ended up in the grass in a bout of giggles.

"I hit my head on the tree root," Crowley said and rubbed the back of his head. It wasn't bleeding or anything, but he did bump it.

"Oh _dear_." Aziraphale pouted. "I suppose you can say, 'The tree's bark is worse than its bite.'"

Crowley groaned. "Angel, no. For _someone's_ sake."

Aziraphale grinned and scooted closer to lay his head on Crowley's shoulder.

Crowley threaded his fingers through Aziraphale's white curls and gazed back up at the canopy. "Angel?"

"Yes, dear?"

"What are we?" He felt Aziraphale stiffen. "I mean, when you introduce me to someone, what do you say? 'This is Crowley, my...?'"

"Oh. _Oh!_" Aziraphale let out a sigh of relief. A little more than a year of being together, and he thought his feelings were still unclear. "Well, I suppose the best way to introduce you would be 'my husband.' We _do_ live together and we _do_ have a daughter; we _are_ practically married, you know. Why?"

"_Ngk_. Just... _Ah_, just making sure, Angel." Go - Sat - _Somebody_ \- he really needed to get a ring.


	11. Day 11: Wings

**Chapter Rated M for Implied Sexual Content

This story contains some references to my Ineffable Stockholm (Beelzebub/Eve) oneshot "Beelzebub Heard A Story Once," so if you find yourself confused reading this, you may want to go give that a read.

Of course, the longest entry for Fictober so far is of a ship only I ship

Beelzebub's pronouns:  
Before the Fall: They/Them  
After the Fall: Ze/Zir

* * *

It is said, that Lucifer and Crowley are the only Fallen Angels to still have wings that resemble those of an Angel. Which is strange, considering Crowley is a **snake**. Snakes don't have wings. Hastur and Ligur don't have wings since reptiles don't possess them. Fishes don't have wings, either, so neither does Dagon. But why Crowley has angelic wings is _not_ the point of this narrative.

It's Beelzebub. Beelzebub's wings were much like a fly's. They were thin and translucent and iridescent. The gentleness and beauty did not match the Prince of Hell and how Ze presented zirself: brutish. And only two people had ever seen zir wings.

They had both started out in a moment of vulnerability. Both had ended differently.

The first time, Gabriel had seen them. Beelzebub hadn't meant for them to come out, but Gabriel had said something that made Ze so flustered, Ze just couldn't help it.

"_Interesting_..." Gabriel said. "They're not as majestic as your wings once were."

Beelzebub grit zir teeth. "Of course not, idiot. Demons aren't _meant_ to be 'majestic!'" Beelzebub hated remembering the time before Ze Fell. Ze hated being reminded of how beautiful they once were, and how soft Heaven was, and how Butterflies followed them instead of flies. Most of all, Ze hated being reminded of how close they once were to Gabriel, and what they were to one another. Beelzebub knew they could never have that again.

Beelzebub has made peace with that a long time ago. Ze accepted the fact that Ze would never find comfort again in Gabriel's arms, with their soft wings wrapped around each other. But Gabriel seemed to have never lost hope. He— deep down— still hoped that the Angel he once knew was still in there. And they weren't. Beelzebub could never be that good, obedient Angel again. Ze was a Demon, ugly and horrific and bad in every sense of the word. Gabriel loved the Beelzebub of the past, and Beelzebub couldn't accept that Gabriel may have loved the Beelzebub of the present. It hurt too much.

So Beelzebub hid zir wings away and never let them out around Gabriel again.

The second time was with Eve. She was asleep, lying next to Beelzebub in the depths of Hell, nothing but a blanket wrapped around her naked form. Beelzebub, who preferred not to sleep, lied there, watching Eve's sleeping form intently. The way her chest rose and fell with each breath, the way her pink lips parted as she breathed soundlessly, the way her eyes flickered behind her eyelids like she was dreaming. Beelzebub wondered what she was dreaming about. _Were they good dreams? Was it possible to have anything but nightmares in Hell? _

Beelzebub wanted to reach out and touch her. Let zir fingers ghost over the scattered dark marks across Eve's neck and chest. But Ze didn't; Ze let her sleep. Instead, Ze sat up and stretched, careful not to move around too much. Ze arched zir back and out came zir wings, fluttering and eager to move around after being cramped in another plane for so long.

_That_ is what must have woken Eve up, for a second later, Beez heard a whispered "woah" and gentle fingers grazing zir wings. Ze gasped and instinctively flinched away, but relaxed when Eve sat up and splayed her fingers on zir wings.

"They're _beautiful_, Beez."

"Demons aren't _meant_ to have beautiful features," Ze mumbled. Ze willed zirself to stay facing forward, for Ze knew that behind ze, Eve was sitting up with the blanket pooled at her waist and her bare chest exposed.

"Oh, but they _are_. They're like a bumblebee's wings." She said sweetly and kissed zir shoulder.

"They're _fly_ wings, Eve. I'm a _fly_."

"Hmm, now that I think about it, they look like _Fairy wings_ too." She teased. _Could the Prince of Hell just not accept a damn compliment?_

Beelzebub groaned. "That's even worse!"

"They look so delicate..." Eve continued to graze her fingers along them. "It doesn't hurt when I touch them, does it?"

"N - no." Beelzebub was even more thankful to be facing away from Eve so she couldn't see zir flushed cheeks and Ze biting zir lip.

She hummed, "That's good." She pressed herself closer and continued, close enough that Beez could feel her hardened nipples against zir skin.

_Satan, give me strength, for this human girl will be the death of me_, Beez thought.

"So all Demons don't have Angel wings?"

"No, only Crowley does," Ze answered.

"_Interesting_." Beelzebub prepared zirself for the hurtful remark, but it never came. "Well, then that just makes you unique." She placed another kiss on Beez's skin, right between zir shoulder blades. "Beelzebub, Prince of Hell, Lord of the Bumblebees -"

"- _Flies!_" Beelzebub twister around to face her but was caught, her hands cupping Beez's face.

She giggled. "These are bumblebee wings if I say so, Beez."

"They're supposed to scare you," Ze growled, but didn't mean it.

"I'm about as scared of _them_ as I am of _you_." She kissed zir cheek to make her point. "Maybe I'm not afraid of them _because_ they're a part of you..." Before Beelzebub could say something, she added, "Let's go back to sleep, Beez."

She pulled Beez down so they were both lying down, facing each other. Eve's head found its usual spot on Beez's chest under Zir chin, naked bodies pressed close together under the blanket.

"I can't... wrap my wings around you, you know," Beelzebub said once they had settled. Beelzebub still remembered how it felt, to be enveloped and to feel safe and content. Beelzebub could never give that sensation to Eve.

"So? I'm perfectly fine like this."

"But -"

"Beelzebub," she lifted her head a little. "Stop being so self-conscious about your wings. _They_ are magnificent. _You_ are magnificent. You holding me and letting me fall asleep would be _magnificent_!" Eve placed a chaste kiss on Beez's lips before she settled back into her position.

_Of course_, Beelzebub thought. _Of course, Eve would feel that way._ Eve had nothing to compare it to. Eve didn't know Beelzebub from before. She didn't know their bright eyes and soft hair. She didn't know their smile and laugh. She didn't know how their wings were as soft as clouds. Eve only knew the Beelzebub presented to her, and still, she was lying in zir arms. And Beelzebub never felt the need to hide from Eve.


	12. Day 12: Pumpkins

It was their first Halloween together. Aziraphale and Crowley have never cared for Halloween themselves, but Eve did. As soon as Halloween decorations started popping up in stores, she began collecting. By the week before Halloween, she had acquired an entire bin full, enough to decorate the cottage, inside and out.

To be completely honest, a lot of it was tchotchkes. Wooden board signs that had cliche sayings, fake pumpkins, silly garlands. But all of it made Eve happy, and so Aziraphale and Crowley indulged her.

And finally, the pumpkins were ready. When they first moved to the Cottage, Eve had requested they plant pumpkins. Who was Crowley to deny his daughter? With Crowley's expert gardening (i.e. threatening), they were finally grown to their peak state: large and round and ready to be carved.

Aziraphale and Crowley had never carved pumpkins, either, and Eve was not about to let them get away with doing it the miraculous way. She laid out newspaper on the kitchen table and the floor surrounding and set out the tools they needed: knives, scoops, scrapers, and markers.

"I just don't see the _point_ of it, Eve," Crowley said.

"It's _fun!_ Plus, once we scoop the insides out, I can make pumpkin pie and bake the seeds."

"Oh, that sounds lovely, dear, I'm sure -" Aziraphale had already cut the top off of his pumpkin and had reached his hand inside to be met with cold, slimy pumpkin guts. He immediately retracted his hand. "Oh, I don't like that at _all_."

Eve giggled, "You can use a scoop, you don't have to use your hands." Eve opted for the latter option, digging and scraping the guts out with her fingers and placing them in a bucket in the middle. She'd separate the seeds from the guts later.

Once the pumpkins were empty, and everyone's hands thoroughly orange and slimy, they could finally carve. They planned out with a sharpie before taking a knife to a pumpkin.

Eve drew out a crescent moon and a tree and some headstones. Crowley drew a demonic-looking face with sharp teeth. And Aziraphale, of course, drew a traditional jack-o-lantern face, smiling and everything.

By the end of the day, they had carved their three pumpkins and were completely covered in bits of guts. They placed them out on the front steps with candles in them, and Eve had allowed them a small miracle to ensure they would last until Halloween. For their first pumpkin carvings, Crowley and Aziraphale's looked really good.

Aziraphale looked down at his gut-covered clothes. Thankfully, Eve had told him to wear clothes he didn't mind getting dirty, but still. "You owe me pumpkin pie, Evelyn."

She smirked. "Yeah, _yeah_, you'll get your pie." With all of the pumpkin guts they got out of it, he got four pies.


	13. Day 13: Reptiles

Eve pushed through the back door into the garden. "Dad?" She called out. "Dad? Are you out here?"

Crowley couldn't be found anywhere that afternoon. He wasn't asleep in his bedroom, and Eve and Aziraphale had checked high and low in every other room in the cottage. Finally, Eve went outside to check. She walked along the garden beds, wondering if Crowley has just lost himself in his gardening, but she couldn't see him. Until she heard a soft hissing noise.

"Dad?" She pushed the stems of the carrots out of the way to reveal a large black snake coiled in the soil. "_There_ you are... We've been looking all over for you." She held her arm out and the serpent crawled up to wrap itself around Eve's shoulders.

"Why are you like this?" She asked. "Did you get overwhelmed?" Crowley sometimes got so overwhelmed, he couldn't even maintain his corporeal form, and so he had to just revert back to his serpent form while he recharged.

The snake said nothing; he could _say_ nothing. It was one of Eve's favorite things about Crowley's serpent form. She could talk and talk and Crowley never said anything back, just listened.

Eve sat on the porch swing. "Zira was worried, you know. He was worried he did something wrong." She looked at him. It was still Crowley's eyes, and she could tell what he was thinking just by that. "He _did_ do something, did he? But not something bad?" The snake's tongue flitted out; that meant yes. "Was he too cute?" Another flit. "Of course." Aziraphale being cute was Crowley's weakness, and too much of it… well, reverted Crowley back to this state.

It had taken a while to be able to allow Crowley to sit on her shoulders like that. The first time she saw him, Eve didn't know _what_ she expected when she was told Crowley was actually a snake, but to come outside and see him curled up and basking in the sun wasn't it. She knew it was Crowley, but it was also a giant snake, and it took a lot for her to finally get over that fear and even touch the serpent. Now, she allowed him to sit there peacefully.

At one point in his life, his serpent form may have been scary. Eve didn't know; she didn't _care_ to know. All she knew was that his eyes still looked soft and his mouth was shaped like a puppy's. She booped his snoot and he flinched a bit, only for him to come back and nuzzle Eve's cheek.

"Silly serpent..."

Just then, Aziraphale came outside. "There you are!"

"I found him!" Eve grinned.

"I see, dear. Come along, Crowley." He held his arm out and allowed Crowley to slither off of Eve's shoulders and up Aziraphale's arm. Aziraphale rolled his eyes and went inside. Crowley would be back to normal within the hour.


	14. Day 14: Books

Books. Books have always been the one human thing Aziraphale could indulge himself in. For centuries, when everything else failed, when he was fighting with Crowley, when the world was about to end, he fell into his books.

His bookshop was never _really_ a shop; it was never meant to be. It was more of a public collection. He had originally intended people to come inside and peruse and leave. Like a library that you could never check books out from.

Crowley had his plants, Aziraphale had his books. He didn't talk to his books, no. He didn't shout at them as Crowley did to his plants, either. Aziraphale's books talked to _him_. They told him stories while he escaped into their worlds and they taught him whatever he wanted to learn. They were a constant: they were there for him. They were the closest thing he could call a family.

The move out of the bookshop to the cottage was hard. He had spent centuries in that small bookshop in Soho. He had created a life there, his own little space. Crowley had it easy. He never really felt any attachment to his flat and had even moved around every few decades to switch it up a bit. He only cared for his plants, but he could take them anywhere.

So when it came time for Aziraphale to pack all of his beloved books up in boxes, of course, he was sad. He was saying goodbye to his first and— at the time— only _true_ home he'd known. But he also knew that he'd be moving to a new home for a family, with the love of his life and their daughter.

So the Bentley was packed to the brim with books and plants and Aziraphale said his final goodbye to his beloved bookshop. It wouldn't be put up for sale, it was just to be left empty.

A few hours later, Aziraphale wasn't even thinking about the bookshop; he was thinking about what he was going to do with all of his books in such a different space. _Would there even be enough room to hold all of his books? What would he do if he couldn't fit them? He wasn't about to put such rare books in storage! _

Aziraphale didn't know _what_ he had expected when they arrived at the cottage. When they had originally bought it, it was practically falling apart.

But when it went inside, it was beautiful. And most importantly, he had his own study, and every wall space available was converted into a bookshelf. And there were bookshelves in the sitting room. And there were bookshelves in their bedroom. There were seats made to have storage for books and tables too.

After a few months of living at the Cottage, he did not fret over his bookshop anymore. He still had his books, and the promise of space to put much more if needed, and he had his family, which really, is all that mattered.


	15. Day 15: Pajamas

How Aziraphale lasted 6000 years without pajamas, he'd never know. He didn't enjoy sleeping, but he did enjoy relaxing, and he simply couldn't lounge in his slacks and waistcoat.

The person who introduced him to pajamas was Crowley. Crowley, who loved to sleep and frankly, after 6000 years, had probably perfected the craft, owned the most luxurious silk pajamas. Aziraphale didn't wear pajamas for the first time until that night they switched bodies. After being marveled and flustered all at the same time by Crowley's naked body, he was taken aback by how _amazing_ his skin felt under silk, and it wasn't even his own skin!

After that night, Aziraphale invested in his own pair of pajamas, or what they really were: nightclothes. They were just the clothes he put on at night, to let his usual attire air out and to lounge and read more comfortably. They weren't silk, like Crowley's; he felt that was copying, and he never let anyone see him in them, either. He also got himself a bed, but never slept in it, just lounged. Half of the bed was taken up by stacks of books anyway.

When he and Crowley started being together, he wore them more often, in front of people. People, being Crowley and Eve. When he moved to the Cottage, he wore them even more. Especially since Eve practically lived in them if she could help it. Aziraphale was convinced she had made up "Pajama Days" just so she could spend the day in her pajamas and it is justifiable.

One day, Eve came home from a shopping trip grinning and holding a bag. She set it down on the coffee table in front of the sofa where Crowley and Aziraphale were sitting.

"What's this, Eve?" Crowley asked.

"I got us all matching pajamas!" She said and pulled out the three pairs from the bag. They were orange and brown plaid flannel pants and a long-sleeve black t-shirt.

"_No_," Crowley said. But at the same time, Aziraphale said, "Oh, how _wonderful!_" Crowley groaned, knowing he would have to wear them now, just to appease everyone.

Sure enough, that night they were all wearing matching pajamas and drinking hot cocoa. Of course, Crowley would never admit how soft the pajamas actually were, even if they _weren't_ silk, or how happy it made him see his Angel and Eve happy. Stupid pajamas.


	16. Day 16: Enchanted

_Enchanted_._ "Placed under a spell; bewitched," or, "filled with delight; charmed."_

Beelzebub knew it. Ze had opened up an actual Dictionary to find it. Actually, Ze had searched the _entire_ Dictionary for the _perfect_ word that described how Ze felt, how Ze felt when Ze first saw her.

After Armaged-didn't and after the Trials, Beelzebub hadn't really checked up on Crowley. Ze didn't want to and Ze figured if Ze just left him alone, he would leave Hell alone. As far as Ze knew, that was Heaven's mentality with Aziraphale as well. However, Beelzebub and Gabriel still met up in secret every once in a while to discuss restarting Armageddon, but they never got past the talking-phase.

It wasn't until about two years after the failed Apocalypse that they realized that Aziraphale and Crowley were no longer in London. They had passed the bookshop by accident, only to see that it was completely dark and empty. For some reason, that made them more nervous than knowing where they were.

They immediately had their head offices locate the traitors, and both reports came back the same: they were residing in a seaside cottage in the South Downs town of Seaford.

"We have to go see," Gabriel said.

"Are you insane? I knew you were zzztupid but insane?" Beelzebub asked. "Thizzz could be a trap. Both of them together?"

"They could be planning something of their own! Come on!"

When they arrived, sure enough, Crowley's Bentley was in the driveway, so they knew he at least was home. They walked up the front steps and paused in front of the door.

"Should we knock?" Asked Gabriel.

"I'm not knocking," Beelzebub said.

"Well, I don't want to knock!"

"And you would risk just barging in?"

"Fine!" He said and knocked on the door. Inside, they heard a dog barking and a faint voice say, "I'll get it!"

A girl opened the door. Immediately, they knew she was human, but her red hair reminded them of Crowley. Upon closer look, they saw her blue eyes. Crowley didn't have blue eyes, but Aziraphale had blue eyes like that. She looked angelic like Aziraphale too, dressed in a soft blue with her hair framing her face.

"Hi, can I help you?" She asked in a sweet voice and flashed a warm smile.

Beelzebub felt something turn inside zir. Zir heart began to beat fast and Ze felt like zir stomach was full of flies now too. Ze was speechless and couldn't answer Eve's question, so Gabriel did instead.

"Hello, human girl. I'm the Archangel Gabriel and this is Lord Beelzebub, is -"

Eve's entire demeanor changed. Her smile dropped and she looked petrified and slammed the door shut. "Dad! Zira!" She ran into the kitchen where they had been sitting at the table. "We've gotta go!"

"Eve, dear, what are you talking about?"

"They're at the door!" She said and grabbed the largest kitchen knife they owned.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Crowley asked. "Eve!"

"The _door_! The -" She turned back around to come face to face with an Archangel and a Prince of Hell. The knife dropped from her hand and clattered onto the floor. She was frozen. Aziraphale and Crowley were frozen. Only Abel wasn't frozen; he was barking at the two strangers.

"Abel... _Heal_." Eve slowly backed away.

"G - Gabriel... Always nice to see you..." Aziraphale said, slowly inching closer to Crowley.

"Of courzzze the two traitorzzz would be living together... Creating their own weapon to zzztop another Apocalypse?" Beelzebub turned to Eve and stared at her with a malicious look.

Aziraphale grabbed Eve and held her close to him. "No, Eve is just human!"

"Eve?" Gabriel asked. "Really? Not very original."

"That's my _name_, asshole!" She snapped at him but still stayed at Aziraphale's side. Crowley, standing in front of the two to act as a barrier, couldn't help but smirk.

And neither could Beelzebub. Usually, in the presence of an Archangel, a mortal would be on their knees begging for mercy. But this human... was _different_. She had balls. She had a fire inside her.

Little did Beelzebub know, Eve had heard about Gabriel and Beelzebub and the trials. She heard how Heaven treated Aziraphale. While Beelzebub was the Prince of Hell, Eve didn't feel any fear. In all honesty, she feared Gabriel more. Gabriel, who just wanted to execute Aziraphale. Gabriel, who verbally abused Aziraphale for lord knows how long. It was a mixture of fear and hatred.

"Just leave us alone," Crowley said. "That's _all_ we want, is to be left_ alone!_"

Gabriel laughed. "What did you think was going to happen? You were going to avert Armageddon? Move out into the country and live a normal, human life? With this... _human?_ Humans die!" He grabbed Eve's arm and yanked her away from Aziraphale. "They're so fragile, so irrelevant."

Eve screamed. "Let me go! _Let go!_" She pounded on Gabriel's bruising grip on her arm. "Let _go_ of me!" She grabbed the first thing she could find on the counter; she really wished it was a knife, but that was on the floor. What she grabbed was a ballpoint pen, and that pen was thrust into Gabriel's arm.

"Agh! _Fu_ -" He let go of Eve to grip his arm and yank the pen out.

Beelzebub wanted to burst out laughing, but that thought was cut short by another one of Eve's screams.. It all happened in a flurry. Gabriel had his hand raised, ready to smite her, and in an instant, both Aziraphale and Crowley were in front of her. This time, it was Aziraphale in Gabriel's face.

Often times, it is hard to remember Aziraphale was once a warrior, that he had his own platoon in the first war between Heaven and Hell, that before he selflessly gave it away, he had a flaming sword.

"I think you should leave now…" Aziraphale threatened.

Gabriel was about to retort, but Beelzebub put zir hand out to stop him. "Maybe we should."

Eve finally looked at Beelzebub, like, _really_ looked at zir. She gave zir a questioning look, and Beelzebub could feel the blush start to spread across zir cheeks. Ze had the strange urge to take her, keep her for zirself. Ze had never seen a human so beautiful. Before Ze could be any more embarrassed, Ze miracles them away from the Cottage.

"What the _Hell_ was that?" Gabriel asked, turning to Beelzebub, still red-hot.

"_You! _Getting your ass handed to you by a human _girl!_" Beelzebub burst into laughter after holding it in for so long.

"Stupid human. She's worse than them!"

"You were really going to smite her! Even _I_ wouldn't stoop so low azzz to smite an innocent human!" _Did that really just come out of my mouth?_

"She stabbed me!" He gestured to his arm, which had already healed.

"And you grabbed her! She wazzz scared, humans fight back when they're scared!"

"And why do you care?"

Beelzebub froze. _Because she's beautiful and different. She didn't look at me the way she looked at you, and I'm the Demon here. _

Beelzebub wanted to see her again, but Ze knew Ze couldn't without Eve screaming bloody murder, not after what just happened. But Beelzebub just wanted to watch her, watch her talk and laugh and smile. That _smile_… Nothing so glorious exists in the deep pits of Hell and it would be burned into Beelzebub's brain forever. If only Beelzebub could just watch her from afar… And then, like a sack of bricks, it hit Ze.

"Beelzebub?"

Ze blinked a few times. "I've gotta go."

"Go? Go _where?_"

"_Go!_" Next thing Gabriel knew, the Prince of Hell had turned into a fly. Nothing more inconspicuous than a fly on the wall.


	17. Day 17: Ring

Crowley burst into Eve's bathroom and shut the door behind him. "Eve, I've got to talk to you about something!"

From behind the shower curtain, she shrieked. "What the fuck! I'm _literally_ in the shower right now!" She popped only her head out from behind the curtain, shampoo suds still in her hair. "What is _so_ bloody important that it couldn't wait?"

"I want to propose to Aziraphale." He said, impervious to the fact that Eve was showering. This was too important, and it was the only chance he had since Aziraphale had gone into his study to read. "I need your help."

"With what?" Eve went back to rinsing out her hair.

"Picking a ring!"

"Seriously? You have had _6000 years_ to think about this!"

"Picking rings is hard!" He leaned against the vanity.

"_6000 years_, Dad! You never walked past a jeweler in like, Venice and said, 'Oh, this would suit Aziraphale?'"

"Why would I? I didn't know he loved me. And why Venice?"

"I don't know!"

"Eve, will you _please_ just help me find a ring?"

She rolled her eyes and began shaving her legs. "_Fine! _Can you please leave now?"

"Yep, enjoy your shower!"

"_Bastard_," Eve said when she heard him finally leave.

They couldn't go ring-shopping right away, of course. They had to be discreet about it. They couldn't go into town without Aziraphale asking where they were going and they had to wait until he went into his study to read or upstairs to bed to go online and look at rings. They even spent some nights up until three o'clock in the morning looking online.

Crowley wasn't satisfied with anything, it seemed like. Aziraphale wore one other ring, on his pinky, and for the most part, it was pretty masculine. They both had agreed, just by looking online, that a flashy engagement ring wouldn't suit him. Eve suggested they look at men's engagement rings, which really, were just bands with one or two diamonds set into the band.

"I think they're nice. They're simple, but also the right amount of sparkly. I think they're classy." She said.

"Yeah, but are they _Aziraphale?_"

"No, probably not. Here's my question: are you going to get like, _actual_ wedding bands, as well?"

"Well, yes, isn't that the point?"

"So, why are you fussing over the engagement ring, if you two are just going to fuss again over the wedding bands?"

"I need something to propose with!"

Eve grit her teeth, "I swear, I'm going to smack you. Aziraphale would literally say yes if you proposed to him with a paper ring! Seriously! I can make you one out of a piece of scrap paper, color it with a highlighter, and you can go propose to him now, and he'll still cry and be happy and say yes. You. Bloody. _Idiot_."

Crowley stared at her blankly. He knew she was right, but he still felt he needed something to show Aziraphale how much he loved him. "We'll keep looking."

"_Ugh!_"

They were out on a shopping excursion in Seaford and Aziraphale had just drug Crowley into a bakery. Meanwhile, Eve spotted a jeweler down the street. She walked in and the shop was poorly lit and smelled heavily of cigar.

"Good afternoon," the old man said with a thick Russian accent. "How can I help the pretty girl?"

Eve gave a polite smile, "Just looking." She went over to the men's jewelry case. "Do you have any… unique rings? Antique?"

"Ah, yes." He showed her to another case. "But don't you want to be looking at the pretty lady's rings?"

She shook her head, "Not looking for me, looking for a friend." A particular ring caught her eye. "Can I see that one?"

He pulled it out for her. It was yellow gold but was definitely aged. It had a singular diamond in the center, inlaid into the band, and on either side were engravings. She grinned, "I'll be right back. Well, not me, a man. He'll want to see this." She ran out of the shop and to the bakery. Aziraphale was waiting for his order and thankfully, his back was turned. She grabbed Crowley and whispered, "There's a ring in that jewelry store a few shops down. Go in, tell the man you want to see the ring that he just showed the young girl." Crowley gave her a quizzical look. "Just do it."

With that, Crowley slipped out and Eve stayed. Aziraphale turned around and was surprised to see Eve standing where Crowley was. "Where'd he go?"

She shrugged, "Dunno. Said he saw something."

"Well, then let's go with." He tried to leave, but Eve blocked him.

"No! I mean, he said to just stay put."

At the jeweler's, the shipowner exclaimed, "Ah! There was just a pretty girl in here who looks just like you!"

"That would be my daughter… She said you had a ring I would want to see?"

"Yes! She has a very good eye. Here it is, an antique. Very strange she didn't want to look at the pretty new ones with big diamonds."

"Mhm," Crowley said mindlessly. He took the ring in his hands and looked at it more closely. It certainly was different. It would fit Aziraphale's aesthetic perfectly, seeing as the rest of his clothes were just as antique. It was _perfect_. "I'll take it."

"Excellent choice." Crowley, thank someone, knew Aziraphale's ring size, and thank someone again, the ring didn't have to be resized. "I clean it up, make it extra pretty. Would you be wanting an engraving?"

Crowley thought for a moment. _6000 years and what would he get engraved inside the ring? Should he even get one?_ And then he thought of the perfect thing to get. "Actually, _yes_, I would."

Crowley met up with them back at the bakery and gave Eve a silent confirmation that he got the ring. He would pick it up the next week. Eve slumped in her seat with a sigh of relief. They went home that day with Aziraphale none the wiser.

_Until that evening._

"Eve?" Aziraphale ducked into her bedroom. He usually did to say goodnight, but he looked like he actually wanted to talk.

"Yeah?"

"Did you happen to see that jewelry store in town we passed today?"

Eve felt all of the blood rush out of her body. _He was onto them. They were ruined. _"Er… Maybe?"

"Oh. It's just, well, the window display caught my eye and, well…" He let out a nervous laugh. "Would it be a ridiculous idea for me to propose to Crowley?"

Eve really felt like she wanted to vomit. She couldn't tell him, "No, don't propose because Crowley's already proposing." And she couldn't tell Crowley that Aziraphale was planning to propose, either, because that would ruin things, too! She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"No, it wouldn't be ridiculous at all… Although, you could really propose to him with like, a paper ring and he'd still say yes." She was hoping Crowley would propose first before Aziraphale even had a chance to get a ring.

Aziraphale beamed, "Oh, I know. But Crowley does so much for me, I want to show him that I love and appreciate him. Oh, would you help me pick a ring, dear? I'm afraid I'm rather old-fashioned and I want to make sure it's perfect for him."

She nodded, "Of course, Zira."

"Oh, thank you! You truly _are_ the best." He placed a kiss on top of her head. "Goodnight, dear. Sweet dreams."

"Night, Zira." She tried to sound calm, but inside, she was freaking the fuck out. He turned her light out and left to join Crowley in bed. Eve stayed completely still for a few seconds. "Fuck. Fuck fuck_ fuckity fuck_, Abel." Abel only lifted his head slightly before he put it back down and went back to sleep, curled up at the foot of her bed. Eve's problems didn't concern him. "I'm _so_ screwed."


	18. Day 18: A Bridge

There is a bridge in Cologne that is covered in locks. There was one in Paris, but the bridge became too heavy to hold them all, so they were cut and removed. But the one in Cologne still holds all of its locks, even from years ago.

It is something tourists do. They even sell a key and lock set in souvenir shops. Some locals do it to be gushy about how in love they are.

When Eve interned in Cologne, she saw a lot of her colleagues do it. She didn't really understand the hype about it.

And then there was one day when she was particularly homesick she ventured around Cologne, she wandered into a souvenir shop on accident. Next thing she knew, she had bought a lock and key set and headed to the bridge.

Dozens of couples were carving their initials onto the locks and then throwing away the keys, signifying their love would last forever.

The wind whipped at Eve's hair, that hazy October afternoon, as she opened up the set and started carving into the lock with a coin.

She locked the lock onto the bridge and threw the key into the river. She sent a picture of the lock to Crowley and captioned it, "Did something impulsive. Miss you!"

Crowley sent a text back that read, "We miss you too! We'll see you soon!"

Eve smiled and out her phone and her pocket and walked away. The purple lock remained: C+A & E.


	19. Day 19: Swing

Besides the study, and his bedroom, the bench swing on the back porch was Aziraphale's favorite spot in the Cottage. He enjoyed sitting out there, reading a book, while Crowley gardened. Sometimes it would be in silence, sometimes he and Crowley would start talking and soon enough, the book and the garden were long forgotten and Crowley was sitting next to him.

On sunny days, he sat nearest the yard, on rainy, cloudy days, he sat closer to the house. Even during thunderstorms, he would take his mug of hot cocoa and sit and watch the rain pour down from the sky and just listen.

When it was chilly, he and Crowley would snuggle close together under a blanket.

Eve would also join Aziraphale. Sometimes they too sat in silence and read together. Sometimes, they would read to each other. Aziraphale read Eve books that she would otherwise find boring; she felt that was the only way to read them. Aziraphale would wrap an arm around her and she would rest her head on his chest. She would sometimes close her eyes and listen to how he made the stories much more interesting than they were. He would take words Eve admittedly didn't know what they meant and stop to define them. If she focused too hard on the sound of his voice, she would end up falling asleep. Aziraphale would stop reading, but wouldn't move to disturb her. He would just continue to gently rock them in the swing.

When Eve read, it was usually more animated. When she read the classics, her posture would straighten and she would take on a more refined demeanor. But Aziraphale's favorites were the more contemporary Young Adult novels he otherwise wouldn't pick up. She had read through _The Hunger Games_ trilogy and Aziraphale had sat on the edge of his seat awaiting what happened. She read him all seven _Harry Potter _books and did the voices as well.

There were also times when both Eve and Crowley were busy. Aziraphale didn't blame them, they had their own hobbies. When those days came along, Aziraphale would still sit in the swing. And if he got lonely, at least he had Abel, who was always more than happy to curl up next to Aziraphale and receive the best pets.


	20. Day 20: Movie Night

Aziraphale was never much of a movie-watcher. Crowley occasionally caught something on TV, and if it was at the beginning, he'd sit through it. But Aziraphale would much rather have read his books.

Until moving to the cottage, he didn't have any idea of exactly how many movies there were today. And he wasn't aware of how many he had missed out on.

Eve showing him how to use the TV and the Firestick was both a blessing and a curse. He had dived head-first into movie-watching. Eve had spent hours— _days_, even— compiling an enormous list of must-watch movies, starting even with silent films from the '20s.

Aziraphale had just politely smiled and put it off to the side in his study. But one night, when he was in a reading-stump, he decided to give movies a shot.

He pulled an all-nighter that night, and Crowley and Eve awoke the next morning to find him in the same exact spot they had left him in, watching movies. Not having to sleep really worked to his advantage. And so, Aziraphale was on a mission to complete the list.

He would occasionally move from the couch to eat, but other than that, he pretty much stayed there unless Crowley literally dragged him to bed.

They would join him, of course, for a movie every once in a while. But there was no keeping up with him. Finally, Eve suggested they plan movie nights every week.

"I know that it's just something parents say to get their kids to stop watching TV, but I _truly_ believe you're going to melt your brain, Zira."

"Nonsense, dear." He didn't take his eyes away from the screen.

"Our point is, Angel, maybe you need to slow down on the movie watching."

"We can have a movie night once a week? The movies aren't _going_ anywhere, you don't have to rush."

Aziraphale finally looked away. "Oh, that sounds lovely."

They chose Friday's. After dinner, they would all sit together and watch a movie, crossing one off of the list one at a time, so long as Aziraphale promised not to stare at the TV for days on end anymore.


	21. Day 21: Thunderstorms

The Sussex region of England had been experiencing large quantities of rainfall for the past few days, but that night, the rain had turned to thunderstorms.

Eve was a grown adult, but she wasn't afraid to admit that thunderstorms still scared her, especially when the power went out. The darkness made her feel paranoid like something was lurking inside it, even if she knew it wasn't possible.

The cottage was old and it was bound to happen. She was lying in bed, and even while she slept, she kept the fairy lights in her room on, and there was a loud crash of thunder that shook the entire house and a lightning strike that lit up her bedroom. It went from bright white to pitch black. She let out a shriek and called out, "Dad? Zira?"

"Coming, dear!" Aziraphale said from his own bedroom. A moment later, there he was, in her doorway. His grace made him practically glow in the dark. "You're alright." He said softly. He snapped his fingers, "Let there be light." A heavenly light was cast over him, both his arms and wings spread open and a warm smile on his face.

Eve was only _slightly_ embarrassed to run into Zira's arms like a scared child. But when she was embraced by softness and the warmth of Zira's downy-feather wings, she swallowed whatever pride she had and just let herself be comforted.

Downstairs, Crowley had already shuffled out of bed and was trying at the breaker box. Sure, he could have just miracled the lights back on, but he and Aziraphale really did try their best to lay low in the eyes of Heaven and Hell. Plus, blackouts were so utterly human.

"Sorry, kid, it looks like we'll just have to wait this one out," Crowley said as he lit the fireplace.

"I can make some tea," Aziraphale suggested. "It would help you go back to sleep."

"Okay," she said with a sheepish smile. Aziraphale got up to go to the kitchen and Crowley replaced him in his absence, which was good because another bolt of lightning stroke and the house rumbled again.

Eve tensed and screwed her eyes shut until she felt Crowley's arm around her. "It's okay," he said. "It sounds like it's going further away anyway."

Aziraphale came back into the sitting room and set the cup of tea on the table. Eve took a big gulp; the chamomile tea made extremely sweet with probably more honey than tea. "Sorry I woke you," she said, mostly to Crowley because she knew Aziraphale wasn't asleep anyway.

"You didn't wake me, darling. The storm had kept me awake," he said.

"Oh, okay." She leaned over to Aziraphale and he wrapped his wing around her again.

At some point, she did fall asleep in Aziraphale's embrace. Eventually, she stopped flinching with every strike of lightning and rumble of thunder and drifted off. Crowley did too. Aziraphale stayed there on the sofa with them until the lights came back on, which was the next morning, with his wings wrapped around them both.


	22. Day 22: Soft

Before Aziraphale wore anything out in public, he liked to model it for Crowley and Eve to make sure it actually _looked_ good. He had worn the same outfit for decades; he had no idea what was "fashionable" nowadays.

He had tried on a soft pink sweater. It looked good on him, of course, but he kept staring at himself in the mirror with a disapproving look.

"What is it, Angel?" Crowley asked. He and Eve were sitting on the bed.

"Do you think... I'm..._ soft?_"

"What do you mean? Of course, you're soft." Crowley replied.

That didn't improve Aziraphale's mood.

"Angel, what is it?"

"Well, Gabriel, he said I should lose the gut."

Both redheads furrowed their brows. "I'll kill him!" Eve said as if she _knew_ how to kill an Archangel.

"Not if I get to him first. Aziraphale, Gabriel is a prick. Don't listen to what he says. You're soft, but I love you just the way you are. Being soft isn't a bad thing. Hell, at least you're not all wobbly like a snake! I can't walk right and chairs aren't comfy." _Maybe that was why Crowley couldn't sit correctly. _

"But everything looks so _good_ on you." Aziraphale pouted.

"You _also_ look good in everything!"

"And plus, you give the best hugs, Zira," Eve said.

"This is true," Crowley added.

"And the best cuddles."

"This is also true." Crowley got up and stood next to Aziraphale and brought his arms around him. "There's also a lot to grab," he winked.

"_Dear_," Aziraphale blushed.

"Okay, I'm out!" Eve threw up her hands and hopped off the bed and left.

Crowley snapped his fingers and the door closed and locked behind her. Aziraphale's sweater was also miracled off, and his blush as pink as the sweater. "Now where were we?" He started kissing his neck and made his way down his torso. "Oh yes, how soft you are..."

"C - Crowley..." Aziraphale moaned.

On the other side of the door, Eve rolled her eyes. "Abel, want to go on a walk?" The pup perked his little head up. "It'll be a _loooong_ walk."


	23. Day 23: Baking

Aziraphale had a big sweet tooth, and so Eve was constantly baking. At any given moment, there was always some type of sweet being made.

Cookies were the easiest to make. When Eve made homemade cookie dough, she made it in large quantities and kept whatever she didn't use for one batch in the freezer for the next time and had to hide it so Aziraphale wouldn't eat it.

She had tried all different combinations regarding brownies: icing, cream cheese, blondies, different candy fillings, etc.

Cakes and pies were made for special occasions since they took a while. Aziraphale pretty much liked any type of pie, as long as it was sweet. She also made pastries; ones she knew Aziraphale enjoyed and ate the most of. His quick breakfast-of-choice was a croissant or turnover with his coffee.

Aziraphale put a miracle on the sweets to keep them fresh, but no miracle could keep them from quickly disappearing when he went down to the kitchen late at night for a snack.

"You know," Eve said one day as she was getting out the ingredients to make cupcakes. "You _could_ learn how to bake, too, so that you could help me. Or even make them yourself," she smirked.

"You always tell me to just stay out of it, dear. Last time I tried to cook, I set it on fire."

"Okay, _yeah_, but I'll be supervising."

"Fine." He got up and snapped his fingers and miracles an apron on himself. When Eve gave him a questioning look, he said, "I don't want to get my clothes messy."

"Oh, good lord." Eve rolled her eyes and rolled up her sleeves.

It did not take long for a mess to be made of the kitchen. Several eggs had been broken and spilled on the floor, flour was everywhere… On the counters, on the walls, _how did it get on the ceiling? _

"I can't _believe_ you've managed to make baking cupcakes look like a tornado has come through here! _Cupcakes_! Children are capable of making these, Zira!"

Aziraphale pouted, "But they look quite fine!" He peeked inside the oven to check on the two dozen cupcakes that were beginning to rise.

"Let's hope they just don't catch on fire…"

"_Hey!_" Aziraphale grabbed a handful of flour and threw it at Eve, dusting her red hair in powdery white.

Eve gaped at him. "You bastard!" She grabbed a handful herself and tossed it at him, covering his face.

Soon, Aziraphale and Eve matched the kitchen: covered in flour, but they were laughing, at least.

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry." Aziraphale helped dust the flour out of Eve's hair.

"It's okay, we're even, I guess."

Crowley, who had been gardening all that afternoon, had come in but stopped dead in his tracks. "What the _fuck_ happened here?"

The two turned to Crowley and pointed at one another and said, "[Zira/Eve] started it!"

Crowley rolled his eyes. "I don't care _who_ started it, just clean it up!"

"Don't get so worked up, dear, you know I will." Aziraphale snapped his fingers and the kitchen was clean again, and so were both he and Eve.

Once the cupcakes were done and cooled, Aziraphale and Eve sat to ice them.

"I think we should just leave the baking to you, my dear," Aziraphale concluded.

Eve nodded, "Good idea."


	24. Day 24: Apples

Rosh Hashanah marked the Jewish New Year and the High Holidays. It was a time for celebration, reflection, and also, _apples_.

Apples had sort of had a notorious history in the house. It was the Forbidden Fruit that Crowley tempted the Biblical Eve to eat, after all. Every time Crowley and Aziraphale saw an apple, they couldn't help but smirk. It was ultimately the catalyst of how they met in the Garden.

The Eve of today, however, was Jewish, and associated apples with Rosh Hashanah. On Erev Rosh Hashanah, Eve harvested all of the apples from their own little garden and had been collecting local honey from the farmer's markets for weeks. She set all of it out on the counters that afternoon.

"Eve, what is it that you're doing?" Aziraphale asked.

"It's Rosh Hashanah and I've got to make _all_ of the apple things! Apple bundt cake, apple pie, apple turnovers, apple streusel -"

"Apple cider," Crowley added.

Eve nodded, "_Apple cider_."

"Evelyn, dear," Aziraphale stopped her from rambling on all of the things she could make. "Do you do this every year?"

"Well, I've wanted to do it, but I never had the chance."

Aziraphale's heart melted. "Of course, dear, carry on."

"Good." She immediately went back to the task at hand. "I've got to get this all done and then I'm going to Synagogue with the Schwartz's and then we're having dinner at their house."

"What's Rebecca making?" Crowley asked. Eve had cut up some apples and set out a bowl of honey to dip them in. He took one and decided that was sweet enough for him.

"I believe brisket." Eve had cut up apples in about seven different ways.

"Becca _does_ make a good brisket." Aziraphale said.

"And then tomorrow, dinner is here. I'm making matzah ball soup and pastrami."

"Oh, like a deli?" Aziraphale asked.

Eve shrugged, "Rebecca and I thought it would be fun. And then we're breaking Fast here, as well. Dad, did you go to the butcher to put in an order for the lamb?"

"_Shit_…" Crowley's face dropped and Eve nearly dropped the knife she was using to cut the apples.

"Anthony Janthony Crowley… I _swear_… Whatever I'm about to do to you, I'll just atone for on Yom Kippur."

"Relax, Eve! I'll just go while you and Zira are at Synagogue!" He waved his hand dismissively.

"Crowley, dear, the butcher is going to be at Synagogue as well."

"_Shit_! I'll go after Rosh Hashanah is over, then. There's still time between then and Yom Kippur, right?"

Eve just glared at him and continued to cut up the apples without even looking down.

"Stop giving me that look! And pay attention to what you're doing before you cut yourself!"

She rolled her eyes and went back to cutting, silently cursing Crowley.

Eve made it all. She had put as much into the oven at a time that she could, and by time they were ready to leave, the entire cottage had smelled like apples. She and Aziraphale left for Synagogue and Crowley may or may not have worked a small miracle to get the lamb order in in time.


	25. Day 25: Creature

"So, your whole thing is supposed to be that you're a fly?" Eve had been in Hell for approximately four weeks, Hell time. On Earth, it had only been about two hours. But she didn't know that, and no one on Earth had been awake yet to see that she was gone.

"What do you mean '_thing?_'" Beelzebub asked. They were currently lying in bed next to one another in a dark, red-lit room Beelzebub had made for Eve. They had been sleeping together like that for two of those four weeks.

"Well, Hastur has a bloody frog -"

" - it'zzz a toad."

"_Toad_, whatever! He's got one on his head. Ligur has a chameleon on his head, too! And Dagon is, what, a piranha?"

"What izzz your point, Eve?"

"They all look like the things they are! Even Crowley has snake eyes. But you don't have fly eyes, or antennae. You have wings but -"

"But?"

"You're not _scary_. They're _scary_, you're not scary."

"I am scary! I'm the Prince of Hell, I'm terrifying!"

"No, you're not." Eve giggled and scooted closer to Ze. "You even make sure to present yourself in a way that isn't scary when you're around me... They look like creatures, like monsters, you don't."

"Shut up," Ze said and leaned in and kissed her. Ze pulled back and Eve looked ready to scold Beelzebub for interrupting her, but Ze just couldn't help but lean in and kiss her again and again until Eve finally went pliant and Ze could lie back and pull Eve on top of Ze. Ze placed zir hands on Eve's waist, not so much keeping her there as much as Ze just wanting to keep zir hands on her.

"See? You're even gentle with me... dare I say, Beelzebub, are you going _soft?_" She teased.

Ze pinched her side, making her flinch. "I'm not zzzoft."

Eve hummed. "What do you think I would be if_ I_ were a demon?"

Beelzebub furrowed zir brow at the question. _Why would Eve ask such a thing? How could she even imagine herself as a demon?_ "You would never be a Demon, Eve..."

"But if I _was_..." she sat up and straddled Beelzebub's hips. "What do you think I would be?"

Furthermore, Beelzebub couldn't imagine Eve as _anything_ so vile and monstrous. Eve may have not seen Beez in that light, but that didn't mean that zir wasn't truly a hideous creature, as well as the other demons, for the most part.

Beez reached your and cupped Eve's cheek with one hand. "I think you'd be a wolf."

"A wolf?"

"Yeah," Ze smirked. "You'd be cute. They're kind of cute, aren't they?"

Eve blushed. "I thought according to _you_, Demons weren't supposed to be cute."

"You'd be an exception."

"Hm. You're still cute, too, though."

"I'm _not_ cute!" Beez said.

"You _are_..." Eve leaned down so that their foreheads were touching. "My little Bumble Bee..."

"And we're back to the beginning. I'm not a _bee_, Evelyn, I'm a -"

It was Eve who interrupted Ze with a kiss this time, the argument no longer important as Ze grabbed her and rolled them over. Ze would be a bee, just this once.


	26. Day 26: LoveHeartbreak

Relationships either end in marriage or breaking up. Or death. Death is always a viable option.

There are great loves, such as the one between Aziraphale and Crowley. Soulmates destined to be together forever. That one would end in marriage. Everyone knew it, it was just a matter of them _actually_ getting around to doing it.

And then there were the relationships that didn't have a happy ending. The ones that ended in heartbreak. Beelzebub would have actually preferred the death option.

It was a short-lived relationship. More than a month in Hell but only a few hours on Earth. It had been good for that month, as most relationships are. Of course, Eve had no choice at first, being captured and held hostage. But she did eventually see that Beelzebub would never hurt her and actually grew to have feelings for Beelzebub.

But she loved another and couldn't give her heart to Beelzebub, so Ze let her go.

_Timing was everything. _

But Eve promised Beelzebub that when she died, she would finally be able to be with Beelzebub.

And so, Beelzebub waited. Ze watched Eve live her life from afar, even though it pained zir. Ze watched her get married and start a family, which Eve would have never had in Hell. Beelzebub watched Eve grow old and she lived a long life and died, just as humans do.

And then there was nothing. It was what Beelzebub had always suspected: that Eve's soul was too good and that she would go to Heaven. It was the fear of Crowley and Aziraphale, for they knew she would be trapped in Heaven and not allowed to leave. While they didn't want her to feel the tortures of Hell, they both knew, deep down, if she were there, she would be free and she would be _loved_.

_Until_.

Until the Almighty changed Her mind, and suddenly, she was there again. She was alive, but no longer human. She looked as young as when Beelzebub first met her and still just as beautiful.

_Timing was everything. _

It wasn't their time before. It couldn't have been. But now they were finally free to be with one another. Eve was free to go to and from Hell as she pleased, and faced none of the consequences.

When Beelzebub first saw her again, Ze couldn't help but hug her. Demons weren't _supposed_ to hug. They weren't supposed to love, _either_, but Beelzebub didn't care anymore. Ze grabbed her and held her tight, afraid if Ze let go, she would disappear again.

And then she said it. The "I love you" Beelzebub had waited for years on. She said it out loud, in front of Aziraphale and Crowley, in front of Gabriel, who was not so happy to hear it, in front of the _entire world_ and the Almighty Herself to hear.

"I love you, Beelzebub." She smiled and kissed Ze, unafraid and unashamed.

_Timing was everything._

Their time to be together was now. They could be with each other for eternity if they do choose. And they did.


	27. Day 27: CandySweets

One thing Eve _did_ have in Hell was candy. The Demon of Gluttony didn't know how to make toast, but Ze did know candy. Ze had a sweet tooth zirself, even if Ze would never admit it to zir fellow Demons.

So Beelzebub always supplied Eve with chocolates when she pleased, the kind with fillings and a card inside the box that told you what each one was. Except Beez _always_ forgot about the card, and so it was a guessing game.

Eve had a trick, though. She would press her nail into the bottom of the chocolate and break it enough to see what it was filled with. Anything she didn't care for, Beez was more than happy to take.

"Do you like peanut butter?" Eve asked after breaking the bottom of one.

"I like anything sweet."

"Okay, good, because I don't like peanuts." She held the piece out for Beelzebub to take, but instead, Ze ate it right out of Eve's fingers. Eve felt the blush quickly darken on her face and creep down her neck. "W - what the _Hell_, Beez?"

"What? Here, let me feed you one." Ze held one up.

Eve hesitated at first, but took a bite and was thankful it was filled with raspberry instead of something gross like orange cream. The raspberry filling left some residue on Eve's lips and Beez couldn't help but stare at the mark on her soft lips.

"Beez?" She asked.

Ze leaned forward and captured Eve's lips with zir own, swiping zir tongue over her lips. She tasted so sweet from the chocolate.

The chocolate, which was then long forgotten. The box had eventually been shoved off of the bed. Eve was Beelzebub's new favorite sweet.


	28. Day 28: HauntedParanormal

The Cottage was old. Really, it would have been surprising if it _wasn't_ haunted. But that didn't mean that when strange things started happening around the house, it didn't scare the shit out of Eve.

It wasn't unusual for old houses to shift and creak, but it _was_ unusual for footsteps to be heard late at night. Eve figured it was just Aziraphale, who didn't sleep at night anyway. She left her bedroom to check downstairs one night, having not been able to get to sleep herself.

But there was nobody downstairs when she checked, and there was surely no one upstairs in the hall.

_Okay, I'm just super tired_, Eve said to herself and went back to her room to go to sleep without another thought.

She didn't experience anything more until a few nights later when she was just about to go to sleep and her closet door swung open on its own.

"Oh, _fuck that_." She sat up in bed and turned on her lamp. There was no one else in her room besides Abel, but he had been sleeping at the edge of her bed, nowhere near the closet.

She picked up a pillow and threw it at the closet door to shut it again. She laid back down, keeping her light on, and stared at the door. When she was satisfied that it wasn't going to open again, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

The last straw happened late at night as she made her way across the dark hallway to her bedroom from her bathroom. The other end of the hall was bare: no window, no door, just a bare wall. She had seen something out of the corner of her eye and turned to look and saw a figure. It was pale and dark at the same time, and by time Eve had let out a shriek, the figure had disappeared.

Aziraphale and Crowley's bedroom door swung open, the light from their own bedside lamp spilling into the hallway, showing there was nothing at all at the end of the hall.

"Evelyn, what's wrong?" Aziraphale was at Eve's side in a flash, followed by a very sleepy Crowley. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Eve, pale and paralyzed with fear in her spot, mumbled, "Because I _did_!"

"Eve, don't be ridiculous."

"But there is," Crowley grumbled. "House is haunted. Not a malicious ghost, but we have one," he said, rubbing at his eyes.

Aziraphale and Eve both gaped at him. "You _knew?_" Eve asked.

"And you never thought to say anything?"

Crowley shrugged, "Didn't think it was important. She's the last owner of the cottage; really likes what we've done with it."

"Crowley!"

"Oh, c'mon, Angel. She won't hurt anybody, she's just making herself known to us. Think of it as having our own Casper the Friendly Ghost," he said nonchalantly and turned back into his room and went back to bed.

Eve looked up at Aziraphale with still-fear-stricken eyes. "Would you like me to stay with you for a bit?"

Eve nodded, "Yes, please."


	29. Day 29: Party

Gabriel had called a meeting on Halloween, of all days. _Didn't he know how bloody busy Hell was?_ Nevertheless, Beelzebub went to their rendezvous. This time it was a cafe, even though neither of them ate or drank.

"What in Heaven's name happened to you?" Gabriel asked when ze walked up.

Beelzebub looked down. Ze was wearing the ripped black jeans and a black jumper that Eve got Ze. "Erm, clothezzz?"

"From where?"

"None of your fucking buzzziness." Ze sat down. "Can we make this quick?"

"Yes. Sorry I called a meeting on such short notice but I'd like to bring up Armageddon again and_ blah blah blah..._" Beelzebub completely droned Gabriel out. It was what Ze did every other meeting, anyway.

Ze felt a buzz in zir pocket and pulled out zir phone.

**Eve: Hey! :) Doing anything tonight?**

Beelzebub glanced up at Gabriel, who was still yapping about trying to destroy the world and have another war.

**Beez: Not anything exciting. Currently listening to Gabriel and refraining from punching him. **

**Eve: Aw, well I'm proud of you!**

"Beelzebub! What are you smiling at?"

"_Hm?_ What? Nothing, dickhead!" Ze set zir phone on the table. "Are you done going _on and on _about an Armageddon that _izzzn't_ going to happen anytime soon?"

"What do you mean? It _can_ happen, we just need to -"

"- No, Gabriel. It _izzzn't_ going to happen. Not azzz long azzz there are a certain Angel and Demon on Earth who love humanity far too much."

"Then we'll just have to get rid of them for _good_ this time."

"No! I, _er _-" Ze looked around. "I mean, they've already shown uzzz how powerful they are..." A dead Crowley and Aziraphale meant hurting Eve, or worse.

"What do you care about them...?"

Zir phone buzzed again and Ze snagged it off of the table before Gabriel could look at the screen.

**Eve: So I was supposed to go to this Halloween party tonight at a club but he got called into work again. Emergency. He's saving lives, I'm proud of him. But anyway, I'm left with a couple's costume and everyone else is busy. Wanna go with me? Sorry, it's last minute. **

Beelzebub typed out a quick reply: **I guess I'll see you tonight. **

Ze set it back on the table, waiting for Eve's reply. She texted back almost immediately, and when it buzzed, Gabriel was quicker to grab it.

**Eve: You're the best! 3 I'll see you tonight at 8**

"Who's Eve? It's not that _human girl_, is it? Are you talking to her? Are you... _friends_ with her?" Gabriel looked like Beelzebub just insulted the Almighty Herself.

"Give me back the fucking phone, Gabriel!" Ze got up and grabbed Gabriel by his collar and yanked the phone out of his hand, but not before he could see the photo of them together on Beelzebub's lockscreen, the one of Eve kissing Beelzebub's cheek. "Even if I wazzz, I wouldn't tell you!" Ze stormed out of the cafe with Gabriel hot on zir tail.

"Beelzebub! Beelzebub, wait!"

"What?" Ze spun around; murder in zir eyes.

Gabriel pulled Ze into an alleyway where they could have a more private conversation than on the sidewalk. "What are you doing with a human, Beelzebub?"

"What does it matter?"

"Do you love her?"

Beelzebub froze, unable to answer.

"You do... Don't you? You love a human girl... and the daughter of two traitors, nonetheless!" Gabriel looked disappointed.

"She..."

"She _can't_ love you, Beelzebub. You're a demon and -"

"Shut up!" Ze shoved Gabriel away from ze. "You're just - you're just jealouzzz becauzzze I don't love you! Becauzzze you're too much of a coward with _Mommy Issues!_" With a snap of zir fingers, Ze was gone. And Gabriel was left in the alleyway confused and... _hurt_.

Beez didn't know if Ze wanted to scream or punch a wall first when ze appeared in Eve's room, but at first sight of her, Ze didn't even think about Gabriel.

Instead, Ze asked, "What happened to your hair?"

Eve jumped in her seat at her vanity. "_Jesus_, Beez, it's a wig!" She stood up; her face looked ghastly, but Beez at least knew that was only makeup.

"Doezzzn't look good on you."

Eve rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks. I'll bet green hair isn't gonna look so great on you, either." Eve picked up the costume and tossed it at Beelzebub.

Beelzebub put it on and looked in the mirror. "Oh, it'zzz that beetle from that movie!"

"Wow, _real_ specific there." Eve came to stand next to Ze. "Beetlejuice and Lydia."

"She didn't wear that in the movie, though."

"No, she didn't. This is her outfit from the cartoon show they made afterward. Much more practical for where we're going." She helped adjust the wig on zir head. She was right, green didn't suit Ze.

"And where'zzz that?"

"Where" ended up being a bar in Seaford. Eve was mostly thankful Beez was a Demon because that meant that they could get there and back in just a snap, no designated driver or sketchy cab needed.

"Are you sure he'zzz okay with you going out with someone that _izzzn't_ him?" Beez asked at the bar, trying to talk over the loud music.

"Yeah! He was the one who told me I should ask someone else, anyway! He thinks you're a friend from Uni!" Eve answered and ordered four shots of tequila.

"He just accepted that you have a friend named Beelzebub from school? I thought he wazzz _suppozzzed_ to be smart!" Beez really had to cut it back a bit on the buzzing in public in front of mortals.

Eve snorted. "No, of course not! I told him your name was Beezus!"

"I hate that even more!"

"Yeah, so do I!" She grinned. The bartender set the shots in front of them, along with four wedges of lime.

"What are those?" Ze asked.

"Shots! Here, you take one, swallow it in one go, and then suck on the lime."

They took the first shot and Beez, not really used to alcohol, especially something strong like tequila, almost coughed it back up.

"That was awful!" Ze yelled.

"Yeah, I know!" Eve giggled. "But it works fast!"

The second went down much smoother, but the back of zir throat still burned.

A random girl walked past the bar and yelled to them, "I love your costumes! You two are _so_ cute!"

"Thank you!" Eve beamed and took a possessive step closer to Beez and slinked her arm around zir waist.

Ze clung to Eve's side the entire night, or Eve clung to zir side; it was hard to tell. They each took another shot and then decided to share a cocktail with about five different types of liquor.

Eve was even able to get Beez to dance with her for a few songs, holding each other close. Mostly because their heads were so fuzzy and the comfortable warmth from the alcohol, they couldn't really stand up straight. They were a jumbled mess of giggles, hands clutching each other, and foreheads pressed together. Beelzebub wanted so desperately to close that small gap and kiss her. Ze missed her soft lips, and how she always tasted sweet, like honey. She tasted like honey everywhere…

Eve was actually the one to close the gap, but her lips went past Beelzebub to say into zir ear, "You're my best friend, you know that?"

Beelzebub pulled back, baffled. Eve was smiling, her eyes reflecting the lights in the club and shimmering. _Surely, that couldn't be true,_ Ze thought. _She must have friends. _

But, it _was_ true. Eve had Aziraphale and Crowley, but they were her parents. Anathema and Newt were her friends, but she didn't see them often. Adam and The Them were friends, as well, but too far and too young. She had her boyfriend, but he was her best friend _and_ her boyfriend, so did it count? And his family, she considered her family, too. But Eve didn't have somebody she could just call a friend. Even though she and Beelzebub had a history, they still spent time together, they still talked. Eve would consider that a friend.

Eve pulled back, but not before placing a kiss on Beelzebub's cheek. Ze was sure there would be a lipstick mark left, and Ze wasn't sure Ze wanted to necessarily wash the mark off.

It was very difficult, being drunk and miracling them both home. Beelzebub, who was slightly more sober than Eve, practically had to hold her up and then made sure that she stayed quiet inside the cottage. Ze managed to use the last bit of soberness Ze had to miracle them both out of their costumes and makeup and into pajamas. Eve didn't waste any time plopping into bed.

"Can I stay the night? 'M too tired and drunk to go back to Hell."

"Mhm," Eve scooted over so Beez had enough room, but as soon as Ze lied down, her head was on zir chest and their legs tangled.

"I might actually sleep…" Beez closed zir eyes and brought zir hand up to gently grasp Eve's hand on zir chest. Ze rested zir cheek against the top of Eve's head.

"Goodnight, Beez…"

"G'night."

"I love you…" Eve's voice sounded so soft, Beelzebub barely could hear it.

"Evelyn… _Eve?_" She didn't budge. She had fallen fast asleep.

Beelzebub took a deep breath; not that Ze needed to take deep breaths, but sometimes it felt nice. Ze could get used to this: seeing Eve whenever and spending time with her because they were friends. At that point, all that mattered was keeping her in zir life.


	30. Day 30: Haunted HouseCemetery

Eve was pretty clever. She was a university-educated woman, after all. However, every once in awhile, she had a stupid idea.

"We should go to a cemetery," she said one evening at the Schwartz's house. It was getting closer to Halloween and save for Ruthie, who was seven and got to do all sorts of fun Halloween stuff in school, they hadn't done anything.

"And do _what?_" Josh asked. He was sitting next to his younger brother Zach, who was too preoccupied with his video game to care about whatever conversation was happening around him.

Eve shrugged, "We could hunt for ghosts?"

"Ghosts aren't real, Eve," Josh scoffed.

Eve rolled her eyes, "Yes they are, there's one in my house."

"You have a ghost?" Ruthie gaped at her. "Is it scary?"

"No," Eve shook her head. "She's pretty friendly."

"Ghosts aren't real, Ruthie."

"They are _too_, Joshua." Eve crossed her arms. "I saw one with my own eyes."

"When?"

"A couple of nights ago."

"How do you know what you saw was true? It was dark and you're blind as a bat!"

"I saw it!"

"Let's go to a cemetery." Zach sat up and set his controller down. "Just so you two will shut up."

Eve drove them in her VW Van. They brought flashlights, but that was about it. None of them had any experience in ghost hunting, and Eve was the only one who had seen a ghost before. Josh sat up in the front with Eve and they just bickered the whole way there. Behind them, Zach rolled his eyes, wishing they would just admit they liked each other and get a room already.

There was one cemetery in Seaford that was open to the public at night. "I'm scared," Ruthie said, looking up at Eve.

"It's okay, just hold my hand and stay close," she said. Ruthie dripped her hand and held her flashlight with her other hand and Eve did the same and entered the cemetery.

"Maybe we'll see a zombie," said Zach.

"Impossible." Josh shook his head.

"_Not_ impossible, but highly improbable," Eve said. She knew better then, with an Angel and a Demon as parents and a witch and the antichrist as friends to not be open to any possibilities.

The cemetery was, to say the least, disappointing. There wasn't much around besides headstones and mausoleums. Even Ruthie had gotten brave over time and let go of Eve's hand to walk around and read the headstones. Zach had sat down on top of a stone coffin and pulled out his phone.

"Welp, I guess there's nothing here, I guess we should - _Holy fucking shit what was that?_" She heard a rustle behind her and an inhuman sound. Eve shrieked and jumped practically five feet into the air. Where she landed was right next to Josh and turned her body into his and covered her face.

"It's just a _cat_, Eve!" Even Ruthie had been braver than her.

Josh and Zach had both burst out laughing and brought his arm around Eve. "What, Eve? Are you going to be afraid of Mouschi when you come over now, too?" He teased.

"Shut up, Joshua!" Eve stepped back, but Josh's arm was still around her. "My nerves were just worked up, is all!"

"Mhm," he smirked. "C'mon, let's go home, then." He lowered his hand so it rested on her lower back. She didn't pull away or object, but let him lead her back to the car.

"Josh and Eve, sitting in a tree, _k-i-s-s-_" Ruthie started as she followed them.

Zach hushed her almost immediately though. "Do you want them to get together or not?" He whispered.

"Ohhh. Yes, I do."

"Then don't tease them."

Ruthie nodded, "Good idea."

Eve dropped the Schwartz children at their house that night, Josh being the last to get out of the van. "Hey, do you er… maybe wanna get lunch tomorrow?" He asked her.

"S - sure. Yeah, sure. I mean, I don't have anything _else_ going on, so yeah. Yeah." Eve stammered.

Josh flashed her the cutest grin. _He really did have a fantastic smile, G-d bless him._ "Perfect. I'll come to pick you up around one?"

Eve nodded, "Sounds good."

Josh hopped out and when he was about to reach his front door, Eve groaned and laid her head down on the steering wheel, accidentally laying on the horn. She shrieked again when it went off, and watched from the car Josh burst into laughter again before turning and waving goodbye and finally going inside.

Eve took a deep breath before putting the car into Drive. "Fuck."


	31. Day 31: Halloween

"I don't understand why _we_ have to dress up too." Zach groaned as Eve fixed his costume.

"Because your sister asked you to, Zachary, and because I said so," Rebecca answered. They were all currently sitting in the Cottage kitchen. Eve was helping Zach and Ruthie with their costumes while Rebecca and Josh were seated at the kitchen table.

Ruthie had asked to be Coraline for Halloween, but she also asked for her brothers and Eve to dress up with her to take her trick-or-treating. Rebecca made the decision that, _yes, they would,_ and immediately started on making their costumes.

Eve and Josh were dressed up like the Other Mother and the Other Father, Eve in a black and white polka dot dress with a black wig and Josh in a red robe, both with buttons painted over their eyes.

"You're getting free candy out of it, Zach, so shut up," Josh said. Zach was dressed as the Other Wybie.

Eve adjusted Ruthie's blue wig and drew freckles on her cheeks. "I wish I had a lot of freckles like you," Ruthie told her. "How'd you get so many?"

"Genetics," Josh interjected with his scientific logic.

Eve rolled her eyes. "Zira says they're angel kisses. Anthony says they're a map of the stars. I think it's just from being out in the sun."

"Anthony has freckles too."

"Mhm. We both have what looks like the Big Dipper on our cheeks, too."

"Where are Anthony and Azira, anyway?" Rebecca asked. They knew them as Azira Fell and Anthony Crowley, two gay humans with an adopted daughter who moved out to the English seaside a few months prior.

"They're upstairs getting into their costumes, but they should have been down by now." Eve had gotten them the best costumes, in her opinion. She threw them at them and told them they had no choice but to wear them.

Their costumes were simple and ironic and the funniest thing Eve could think of. Aziraphale was wearing a black jumper and black trousers and tiny black wings with devil horns. Crowley was wearing basically the same thing, but white and a halo. There wasn't much to it, but Eve couldn't help but giggle when they finally came downstairs.

"You _really_ think you're clever, don't you, Evelyn?" Crowley asked.

"I do. You two look great!"

"The feather wings are a bit ridiculous, dear, and they shed everywhere," Aziraphale said.

"I think you look cute!" Ruthie said.

Crowley melted, just as he always did around Ruthie. "Not as cute as you, Sheifale." He scooped her up into his arms. He used a Yiddish term of endearment with her, meaning "little lamb," and she loved it. With her father being gone, she had no one until they moved into the neighborhood, and Crowley was surprisingly good with children.

"Are you going to give out candy?" she asked.

"Yes, but I had to hide it from Zira, or else he would have eaten it." He opened the cabinet and reached up onto the top shelf to pull out several bags of candy.

"I would not have." Aziraphale pouted.

"Yes, you would have. And you can't eat it all tonight before we give it out, either." Crowley set Ruthie down to fill a giant bowl with candy. Of course, they had gotten full-size candy bars, and if it came to it they would never run out. They lived outside of downtown Seaford, technically, but people still drove their kids out to the outskirts. Most were friends from clubs and work, and Rebecca, knowing about everyone in Seaford, spread the word that she would be giving out candy with her new neighbors that Halloween, so Aziraphale and Crowley knew to expect a lot.

"We should get going soon," Eve said. "I'll drive us into town, and then we'll finish here."

"You do look positively creepy, dear," Aziraphale said. When he had told Eve he never saw the movie, only read the book, Eve made him and Crowley watch it. The Other Mother creeped him out and he proclaimed that it was not a children's movie.

"Thanks, Zira."

"You and Joshua look _very_ cute together, as well," he added in a whisper.

Eve blushed, "_Shut up…_"

Rebecca ushered the children outside for a dozen pictures and then finally set them free. "Be safe, listen to Eve and Josh, don't wander off without them!"

"Do try not to be out all night, dears," Aziraphale added.

"We won't!" Josh called back as he hopped into Eve's van.

They all piled in and Eve drove away. When they were finally gone, Aziraphale sighed and said, "I'll open the wine."

Rebecca grinned, "Oh, good."


End file.
